Process of manufacturing alpha floor or ceiling covering



g- -v c. GARTENMANN I 1,772,942

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING A FLOOR OR CEILING COVERING Filed Jan. 10, 1929 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 d C. Gav-Pen Aug. 12, 1930. c. GARTENMANN v 1,772,942

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING A FLOOR OR CEILING COVERING Filed Jan. 10, 1929. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jrzvemior:

C 6ar+enman 77 5,3,, 777W Mfg Patented Aug. 12 1930 PATENT OFFICE CARL GARTENMANN, OF BERN, SWITZERLAND PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING A FLOOR OR CEILING COVERING Application filed January 10, 1929, Serial No. 331,429, and in Germany January 16, 1928.

The invention relates to a process for manufacturing a floor or ceiling covering.

The known types of floor or ceiling coverings consist in many cases, especially if they .5 are adapted to sustain the weight of persons walking on them, of a cement mortar compound usually made to cover the surface to be protected in its entire extent as a continuous layer.

A covering of this type, made of a continuous layer of cement mortar and of a considerable extent, suffers fi'om this drawback, that it will crack through cold, heat orloca] stress of load. Water will penetrate through 16 these cracks to the protective cover and injure or destroy the same in addition to spoiling the appearance thereof.

The water may be prevented from entering into the cracks of the covering by covering the cracks with cardboard or some such r material, but the covering will then not permit of persons walking on them any more.

These drawbacks are removed by the invention, which consists in a process, according to which a water proof and walkable floor or ceiling covering may be made. A

covering made according to the invention cannot crack irregularly, even if exposed to the effects of heat, cold or local load stresses.

The process according to the invention consists principally in that the material used for preparing the covering is not worked into a layer extending over the entire surface to be protected, but is laid on the surface to be protected, in panels. Expansion-joints are provided between the single panels, said joints being filled up with a somewhat plastic material.

The provision of expansion joints allows to the single panels to expand or contract through heat, cold or local load stress without cracking. A covering made in this way remains, therefore, not only permanently water proof, but is also well adapted to be walked upon.

The process according to the invention will be more fully described in the following by referring to the particular water proof and walkable roof covering illustrated in'the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a roof surface to be protected, showing also parts of the covering according to the invention in the single phases of manufacture,

Fig. '2 is a perspective view of a section of the device used in the manufacture,

Fig. 3 is a'detail view of a section thereof,

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of part of the covering according to. Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 4 the section made through a covering manufactured according to a slightly different process,

Figs. 6 and 7 are examples of arranging the single panels in relation to each other and to the border lines of the roof,

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a T-piece with the rod inserted, being a modification slightly differing from that shown in Fig. 2,

Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view of said rod in a somewhat different modification.

The manufacture of a water proof and walkable covering by the process according to the invention consists in that first the surface a to be protected is painted with a bituminous product I), and that, if necessary, a netting b is embedded in the latter. After this coating has dried, the surface to be protected is divided into single panels by laying out on the surface bordering rods for the The cross pieces are preferably of U-shaped sectional area, whereas the connecting pieces are of solid material or are also made of a material of U-shaped section. The connecting pieces are simply laid into the arms of the cross-pieces so that the extreme ends of the connecting pieces project into the cross pieces. In order to secure the relative position of the parts, pins 6 are preferably arranged in the arms of the cross pieces so that slots 7 in the connecting pieces will engage these pins 6.

By laying out the parts 0 and d, panels are formed on the surface a, and these panels are filled with a water proof cement mortar compound g for making the covering, and a netting h is preferably embedded into the compound g. The cement mortar g is smoothed y means of a smoothing board which is drawn along the upper edges of the cross and connecting pieces. After the mortar in the single panels has hardened or set, the rods and 4 parts 0 and d are removed. Hereby joints are formed between the panels, which are filled out with a cement z', e. g. of petroleum pitch.

Owing tothe provision of such joints, the panels are allowed to work one a a'inst the other, for instance through in uence of weather, without the possibility of cracks showing in the panels.

In one modification of the process the panels of cement mortar and the expansion joints between them are further covered by means of a thin mortar layer is. This mortar layer is, after having been smoothed, is diminished at the points over the expansion jointsby producing a flute Z by means of a jointer, so

that in case of working panels and cracks caused thereby, such cracks cannot form in the area of the panels, but only at the diminished points, i. e. over the-expansion joints acting as a stopping medium. The provision of the'flutes Z is of advantage also in that any large quantity of water reaching the covering, will collect in the flutes and flow oif along them.

In a somewhat modified process the joints formed by removing the bordering pieces are 5 first filled to about half their height, as shown at z, with a cement spreadable in the cold state and consisting of petroleum pitch, anthracene oil and a filling material, such as asbestos fibres. The remainder of the expan- 40 sion joints are now filled to the. upper edge of the cement mortar compound 9 with a semi-liquid mixture of cement and sand mixed with bitumen soluble in'water. The addition of bitumen increases the adhesion of the cement in this mixture to the cement of the set edges of the single panels and prevents the formation of cracks at these edges.

In this way a cement strip is is provided in its upper surface with a longitudinal flute positioned medially of the side edges so that when heavy stresses are disposed on the roof suflicient to cause a cracking thereof this crack will possibly follow along the flute. For'this reason the edges m of the single panels will be prevented from cracking.

In Fig. 6 is shown an arrangement of. the single panels, in which the single panels are displaced one against the other. Accordingm ly the bordering pieces 'in the form of T- pieces n are used, into which suitable rods 0 are laid. s

Fig. 8 shows,-in what way the rods 0 of U-section are connected to the T-piece n by as means of binding members, e. g; slots 0 and pins 01., so that their position is fixed one in relation to the other.

When arranging the panels accordlng to Fig. 7, angle pieces 9 are used in addition to the shape of a V, whereby the advantage is obtained, that the cement strips i are comparatively narrow and, that in this manner a considerable saving of cement material is produced, whereas, through giving the top of the rod a head of good width 8, the water proof part of the cement strip 2' or the cement strip respectively are nevertheless of sufficient width to enable good binding with the edges of the single anels and enable also the provision of the utes. The T-crossand angle-pieces are, of course, given a similar sectional shape in this modification'of the rods.

A covering produced by the process according to the invention, is positively water proof and may be exposed to considerable load stresses, without any cracks forming, through the above causes or through the effects of the weather,'at any points, where cracks may become injurious to the lower covering.

I claim 1. A process of manufacturing a covering for floors, ceilings and roofs, consisting in coating the surface of said floor or roof with a bituminous product for the purpose of producing a water-proof and walkable covering, arranging bordering rods on the coating and dividing the surface thereof into spaced panels, filling said panels with a water-proof cement mortar and enclosing a reinforcing sheet in said mortar, removing said bordering rods so as to free the spaces between the panels and inserting a filling compound consisting preferably of a somewhat plastic cement of petroleum pitch into said spaces to form expansion joints.

2. A process of manufacturing a covering for floors, ceilings and roofs, consisting of coating the surface of said floor or roof with a bituminous product and simultaneously reinforcing the product for the purpose of producing a water-proof and walkable covering, arranging bordering rods on the coating so as to divide the surface thereof into panels, the spaces between which are restricted at their lower portion, filling said panels with a waterroof cement mortar and enclosing in said lling a reinforcing sheet, removing said bordering rods after the mortar has driedv so as to free the spaces between the panels, partly filling the lower portions of the spaces with a plastic compound consisting of petroleum pitch, anthracene oil and asbestos fiber and filling the remainder of the spaces to a'point flush with the panels with a semi-liquid mixture of cement and sand with a bitumen soluble in water, and finally providing longitudinal fiutin s in the upper surface of the joints provide by the filling, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spaces between the panels are V-shaped so that the filling when inserted therein acts to effectively anchor the panels in position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

- CARL GARTEN'MANN. 

